The book starts off fast paced and I was excited as we learn more about Wren and her abilities. Wren and Lee are whisked away to a camp to help them control their talents but the pace slows once they get to camp. The world is fleshed out but never fully made sense to me. They have class there but otherwise seem to be unsupervised. With so little guidance, why have them go to camp at all? The interesting aspect of the story is what Wren uncovers about the Council. The romance is lacking and all telling instead of showing. The characters themselves come across as much younger and although it doesn’t take from the story I had a hard time believing they would be allowed to go anywhere alone for the summer. The book has its intriguing aspects but I’m not sure it’s enough to overcome the weaker areas.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Draw Down the Moon
by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Moonstruck #1
YA Fantasy
NetGalley ARC
St. Martin's Press
Pub. Date: Apr. 2, 2024
Ages: 14+

Even though both of her parents were magickal, Wren wasn't born under a moon sign, so she was never gifted magick and was content with living a Mundane life taking over her uncles' bookshop when the time came.

While hanging out with her magickal best friend Lee, standing in the moonlight at the exact time she turned eighteen, she was moonstruck, and suddenly gifted with an unknown magick.

The future Wren had seen for herself was gone, and she was taken to a secret magickal school on an island off the Seattle coast with Lee by her side.


Starting off interesting, this story, while still good, became convenient. Her best friend was already going to the magick school, as was another one of her friends, and I could not help but compare this with the H.P. Books. The school is a castle, the kids are 'sorted' by their moon sign, there are 'ghosts', trials, etc.

I use the term kids because even though the characters are eighteen, they come across as much younger; fourteen through sixteen.

As to the magick system, it's creative, though not explained in depth. I get that Wren is the MC and it's her magick that's center, but to get the impact of her magick the others need to be explained better.

And on that note, the ending was rushed. I liked what happened but the execution was so lazy that I hated it, thus taking away a star. A hundred more words would've made it concrete, understandable, and believable.

Thankfully, while there is romance, it's not borderline unlike another of the authors' YA books, so it's suitable for readers 14+.

3 Stars

Draw Down the Moon by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast is a fantasy/magical set in an academic setting. Geared towards young adults, this story reads a little middle grade in some places.

Wren Nightingale is not prepared to have powers. She has no idea how to wield them or what that entails. Raised by her uncles after her parents die, her best friends are born with moon power. She has plans. However, that change on her 18th birthday and she has to go to an elite and hidden academy that trains Moonstruck. Everything is not as it seems, though. Secrets, trials, and murder are all part of the game.

The world building of this story is great.
With a hidden island, elemental magic, and magic from the moon, this story makes an interesting concept. However, the romance between the main characters seemed a little forced to me. This book would have been good even without it. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see how the story progresses.

Thank you, Wednesday books for this book.

Unfortunately I ended up DNFing at the 25% mark.

As someone who grew up with and absolutely loved the House of Night series, I was extremely excited for this new series. However, it's clear to me that I'm no longer the target audience for this. I loved the unique magic system with the moon however everything else seemed rather generic. There was nothing about the characters or the world building that really stood out to me. Actually quite the opposite, I couldn't help but find similarities to another very popular magic school series. One where the main character also loses both parents, lives with an uncle and right before school starts they all of a sudden discover they have magic of some sort... I just wasn't wowed at all and feel like this just won't be the series for me.

This is probably my favorite PC/Kristin Cast book so far! It feels familiar to their style, especially with the magical kids going off to a magical school…but it also felt a little more mature than some of their previous books, which I appreciated. The pacing is quick and keeps moving through the events at a clip, no down time or meandering which worked for me, keeping my interest piqued in the story. And the cliffhanger ending has me looking forward to the next book!

3-⭐⭐⭐

"The one thing I know for sure - Moon Isle will change my life."

Draw Down the Moon is the first novel Young Adult Paranormal Romance series, Moonstruck, which follows characters Wren and Lee as they are sent to the mystical Academia de la Luna in order to learn about the magic within them. Lee has always known he is destined for the Academia and yearns to show his mettle there, especially given the legacy left my his family and his determination to honour his sister. Wren, however, thought herself to be a Mundane until her 18th birthday when someone strange occurred. Together they must navigate the perilous trials in the school and prove their worth...but also be wary as prophecies, murder, and secrets threaten to tear them and their worlds apart.

I have mixed feelings here. This read was my attempt to give the author a second chance after the rage inducing twist in the book Hunted (House of Night series) that prompted me to quit the series and never pick up for years.

I would say this book has many of the same vibes as the House of Night series so if you have enjoyed the previous works of the author this will be up your alley with the academy vibe, exploring hidden secrets, and uncovering prophecies that shake the world.

Wren and Lee start off as friends and it is very obvious they love each other and just are unable to reveal the their feelings which rubbed me the wrong way - especially when they become distanced at the academy. Lee is the more studious one looking to impress people and I felt that put a wall up between him and Wren. Wren is the secretive one who struggles to share and trust. Their romance starts off sweet in the first chapters but as the book progresses they feel more at odds even when they become a couple. I have trust issues here as a result.

The story itself follows a pretty traditional routine. They are competing in these trials to show their magic and receive rankings but also attending classes and exploring the world. I would have liked to see more of the classes aspect as I am not sure what the goal of the academy and trials are at this stage. I felt the elementals were a cool touch and also the magic system is very intriguing - especially surrounding Wren. This book plays very much into the YA feels so the drama sometimes feels over the top for.

My big thing was the ending. It gave me the same anxiety and tension that had me stopping books like Vampire Diaries and the House of night series as the characters lock up communication, which makes the situations ten times worse. Based on the ending I do not see me continuing because I just can't handle it and I feel I will get another rage inducing twist down the line.

Overall I feel this embodies the YA paranormal romance dramas that many readers will enjoy alongside fascinating magic, a headstrong female lead, and secrets to unlock. For me, I just can't handle the characters and their inability to communicate.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the arc.

P.S. This book has no spice. Just kissing at this time.

I do not want to say this is a DNF just yet. For now, I am putting it off to the side. I only got to 15% in before deciding to put this book aside.

I've only read one PC Cast book, but I have not read any books by Kirstin Cast and PC Cast. I know the mother-daughter duo has been writing popular books since I was in middle school (around '06-'07).

When I was approved for this eARC and was sent a physical ARC from Wednesday Books, I was excited because this book sounded amazing, and was from a popular author who has been around for a long time.

So far, this book has not been for me. The FMC is supposed to be an older YA, but comes off juvenile and seems more like 12-14 years old when it comes to the inner dialogue and when they are speaking to others. The writing was lackluster and felt once again on the juvenile side. If the character ages were lowered and this was marketed as middle-grade, then this would be fine and be enjoyed by a more suitable audience.

Wren was born a mundane despite having two magical parents. She’s had her entire life to come to terms with not having magic until she manifests moon powers on her 18th birthday. After that, she’s whisked away with Lee to the secret, magic school, Academia de la Luna. Lee has always known he would attend the Academia with the singular focus of impressing the Moon Council. At the Academia, Wren and Lee are forced into the trials designed to determine the strongest magic wielders. However, there are dangers lurking at the Academia this year which will come with deadly consequences. Can Wren navigate the secrets someone is desperate to hide? Lee will also have to choose between protecting his family and Wren.
✨
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This book had such promise but unfortunately, ended up falling mostly flat. Starting with the good — the magic system and the plot. I really enjoyed the moon magic and different types of magic attributed to the various lunar cycles. The intrigue surrounding the elementals was also fascinating, and I’d love to learn more about them in book two. I also enjoyed the overall plot. There was enough intrigue between the determining the truth of Wren’s powers and the prophecy the elementals kept hinting at in regard to Wren. What didn’t work for me were the characters. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough build up to the relationship between Wren and Lee. They were friends for years, but we’re dropped in to the middle of that without seeing the build up only being told it’s there. As a result, there was no real chemistry between the characters at least in my eyes. Even amongst the friends group, I struggled with the connecting to the characters aside from Wren and Sam. I did find the story interesting enough to want to read book 2.

This was fun! The writing was really easy to read, and it gave me the vibe of an early 2000's mystery romcom. With that being said, I guessed who was behind certain things pretty easily and I cringed at the romance every now and then.

I don't think that I will be continuing on in this series.

Thank you to Wednesday books for an ARC!

DNF

First, I have only read one other book by these authors, and that didn’t go well because it was more sci-fi, so I hoped that this one being fantasy would be more to my liking.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t. While the concept was an interesting concept, what kept holding me up was the writing. I was not vibing with the writing style at all. Despite the characters all being eighteen, this read much younger than that, more towards a middle grade audience than a young adult one.

I love prose and descriptors, I just felt that the way it was written in this book did not work for me. I also struggled to get into the characters as they kept falling flat, they didn’t feel like there was a lot going on with them.

Honestly, I hate to say it, I was cringing as I read this, and as much as I wanted to continue this book, I couldn’t. It just wasn’t for me.

If you love magical academies you might enjoy this book!

This book reminds me of why I fell in love with P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. The characters are beautiful and well written. The pacing of this book is fantastic. The plotline draws readers in and keeps them captivated. More importantly the writing and storyline in this book feel like some of their first novels and I could not be more thrilled. This is a series that I could get lost in any day of the week, and I am so excited to see what happens next.
Thank you so very much to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this fantastic novel.

The Cast ladies are back with a new dark academia duology. Wren Nightingale (what a name) was born to magical parents who were moonstruck, however, she has never manifested powers of her own. That is, until her 18th birthday, when she suddenly "draws down the moon." Anyway, she, along with her best friend, Lee Young, who has always been magical, head to a hidden magical island off the coast of their small Pacific Northwest town called the Academia de la Luna, to learn how to use and wield their magic. As Wren and Lee are thrown into the Academie's grueling trials, they quickly learn there's something different--and dangerous--about the school this year. Wren will have to navigate a web of secrets, prophecies--and murder. And Lee will have to decide who to protect--his family's legacy, or the girl he loves.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

This was not the book for me. DNF'd at 25%

First off, I thought this had an amazing start to introducing the main characters and was intrigued by the dual POV's of Lee and Wren.

But as soon as the powers were introduced, it just went downhill from there for me.

This book had such a slow start. There was a lot of dialogue that happened between characters and an plethora of internal dialogue of descriptions of people and buildings. It wasn't until 20-25% into the book that you actually get to the school. You got introduced to so many different characters and their descriptions that I wasn't there at the school. I was there trying to understand who we are talking about and why are we even being introduced to these kids in the first place.

One thing that really bothered me was no introduction of the Moonstruck magic system. It's "she now has it and off to school you go!" there was no POV of Wren taking any time to process what just happened and she suddenly had magic when she thought she was a Mundane.

Another thing, this books attempt to be like Harry Potter. Didn't exactly work for me. It felt forced and didn't really flow in my opinion.

I have really struggled with the multiple POV's in this one. For the life of me, I couldn't connect with Lee's character. It felt flat and emotionless. I was able to connect to the story once I got back into Wren's character but it felt like I constantly missing something. The transitions between the characters POV was rough. It didn't feel like it flowed and felt forced.

All in all, I think this had a great idea, just didn't work for me.

This definitely qualifies as young adult, on the younger side of that genre. Being that it’s the first book in the series though, I suppose the rest of the books could become more mature, we’ll have to wait and see. Despite that though, it was still an enjoyable fantasy romance. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read about a magic school, but it was a fun read! Even though I’m definitely not a young adult any longer, I’ll still read the remaining books to see where this goes! I found myself fascinated by the Elementals, and would like to see more of them!
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

As someone who grew up on P.C. Cast's books, I was really excited to dive into this book. The summary had me expecting a bit of forbidden romance setting against a backdrop of a magic school and a unique magic system. Unfortunately, I ended up DNF-ing the book at 15%. Draw Down the Moon clearly targets a lower YA audience. From the beginning, it came across as overly dramatic, which did. not sit well with me. I continued reading hoping that things would turn around, but the tone stayed the same. I also felt that the characters acted much younger than their age. They are supposed to be college kids, but they act like they are middle schoolers engaging in silly pranks. By the time, the main character discovered she had magic and we came to the explanation of this world's magic I was already losing interested. Said explanation, delivered in a high handed manner from the Dean of the Academie, made me realize that this was the same magic system I had encountered dozens of times in other fantasy books, just re-packaged with a set of quirky astrological names. I had no interest in continuing further after that point

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!

My rating: 3 stars

Firstly...the cover is to die for. I'm a total sucker for magic schools as of late. Draw Down the Moon had such an interesting premise with an enchanting plot.
The read felt whimsical and alluring, but I felt read on the younger side of YA. With that being said, I think it would be great for a younger audience just starting out with Fantasy!

Angsty young young adult novel. Although the characters have all just graduated High School, this novel reads younger and the characters behave more like middle schoolers. Wren Nightingale is born without magic to a magical family and assumes she will live a mundane life until she turns 18 and magic starts surrounding her. She is thrilled to be joining her two best friends at a summer training camp for magical teenagers. Unfortunately, nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. This is the first book in a duology (or perhaps more) and it ends practically in the middle of a confusing scene. The story is told from alternating viewpoints of Wren and her best friend/more than friends Lee. The "will she or won't she like me as more than a friend" takes a few weeks in the book and only a few pages in the telling, but there isn't much more to the romance than that. While I enjoy young adult novels and love magical elements, I am probably not the right audience for this book. It might be more enjoyable for a much younger crowd. The magic is based on the moon and the zodiac but it doesn't all come together. Perhaps it will become clearer in the next book.

My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy. My opinion is my own.

I had to double check what category this book fell in because I felt like it was geared more toward middle schoolers. I liked the story but it just read younger than I thought it would.

I gave up reading this book. The writing style felt like it was better suited to middle school than YA and it was meant to be upper YA (characters are 18 year olds)

A girl who suddenly awakens her magical powers finds herself being sent to a magic school on her 18th birthday with the one boy who has been secretly in love with her for as long as he can remember. Magical school, romance, and mysteries to unpack. In a world where there are zodiac/moon magic and the difference between Magical vs Mundanes, Wren Nightingale always thought she was going to be a Mundane... until her 18th birthday where she begins to glow and her magic awakens. Now she has to go to the magic school called Academia de la Luna, where she'll learn to train her powers. Lee Young is her best friend who has secretly been in love with her for as long as he can remember. He has magic and was going to the school, but now that Wren is coming with him, everything is going to change. The school they'll be attending has its own grueling trials and dangers, and they'll have to navigate deadly secrets within the school and murder! Lee will have to decide whether to follow his family's path or follow the girl he is in love with. Wren will have to find a way to understand her new magic and who she is now. This book felt like it was about 13-14 year olds rather than actual 18 year olds, it read as very young and juvenile and honestly, I found myself wanting to DNF this book so many times but kept pushing myself to finish just to finish the book. This book hits all the classic 2010s YA tropes: magic school, chosen one girl, Hunger-Games esque trials, She's so quirky and not like other girls, and unfortunately the found family trope in this one did not work for me at all. I really did not care for the romance and the actual "cliffhanger ending" just had me going "ughh". I will not be reading the next book and honestly this one just felt like a complete miss. The cover is the most stunning thing ever however the actual plot and characters just did not live up to what I was hoping it would be. I think if you are on the younger end of YA I feel like this would be perfect for you, as for me, it just didn't work out. I feel like younger YA readers would enjoy this one.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*